Cats at Play
by t3h maniac
Summary: So what convinced Lethe to go along with the Soren's plan in part 3. Desperation, trying to get along with the mage, or something else.


**Cats at Play**

**Now does Lethe really seem like the type to dress up, even for an important mission? She seems a bit too proud to do something like that, even for Ranulf. Well there's a reason for that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters involved.**

--

"So do we have a plan yet?" Ike asked for the second time since the lion had left the tent, _probably off to get himself killed with any luck_ Soren thought vicously. His icy relationship with Laguz had faded out somewhat but he still could not get past the fact that all they wanted to do in a war was charge, no subtlety, no intelligence, no-one to stop them falling into pot holes on a bridge.

"No and stop asking me, I'm trying to think."

"Well think faster. Its only a matter of time before Skrimir decides to charge on his own without our help."

"I know that, but making it into the fortress is going to be tricky, even under cover of night. There are just too many patrols; they've gotten a lot smarter since our last battle."

"Can't we just take them out quickly enough before they can raise an alarm?" Ranulf asked.

"No. Someone will figure out if we start killing them to get into the village, but there may be another way."

"Let's hear it."

--

"So… that's what you two have to do, this is vitally important to our march onto the Empire's capital."

"Anything for you captain Ranulf, even if it means working with a Beroc child." Lyre purred, happy to be given her first active role in any attack, and for other reasons

"She's called Mist, I've worked with her before. You two will get along fine, even your sister doesn't mind her." Ranulf reassured the smaller of the twin.

"Okay, see you soon."

"Lethe?" He asked nervously, he had tried to avoid the glare she was giving him ever since he mentioned it.

"No."

"No?"

"I am not going through with this. You'll end up in that costume before me."

"Look Lethe, I know it must be hard for you but try to understand. Sometimes you just can't rely on force to get what you need."

"You know? What do you know about injuring your beroc pride like this, it is one thing to use Beroc tactics such as cover by night but this! I swear that mage is doing this just to spite me. I'm sure of it."

"Say… maybe we could come to some sort of deal."

"What sort of," Lethe began before Ranulf put his finger to his mouth, looking to see if anyone who could listen in was there. "What sort of deal?"

"This." He said holding out what seemed to be a dark brown pouch, similar to those used to carry vulnaries but the texture was thinner, in some places patches of green were visible.

"Is that Olvi Grass? What's so special about that?" Lethe asked unimpressed.

"Take a small sniff and find out." Ranulf opened the pouch slightly trying to hold his own nose away from the contents; Lethe took one sniff of whatever was in his bag.

Catnip.

He'd managed to harvest a bag full of catnip.

"Ranulf! That stuff is illegal in Galia." She hissed, trying to maintain the normal spectrum of colours.

"But we're not in Galia are we? The whole bag is yours if you go through with this plan, just don't get caught with the stuff or Skrimir will take out his frustrations on me instead of the empire."

"Fine, but you better pay up afterwards."

--

The mission was a complete success, the Begnion fortress fell in a matter of hours once the patrols had been taken care of and the Laguz alliance camp had pushed further east into the Empire's territory.

"You know that Lethe girl's not bad either." Gaitre explained to an un-interested Shinon. He was sure that moving away from civilisation had caused his friend to go insane while travelling in the armour that he continuously complains about. He was now interested in the cats for Ashera's sake.

"Assuming she doesn't claw your eyes out first."

"No, seriously. I spent the time after the battle with her. She was very friendly if you know what I mean." Gatrie said, adding a certain tone at the end that made Shinon stop in his tracks.

"You didn't. With a _sub-human_ of all things?" Shinon stuttered, trying to make sense of it all.

"Nah, we didn't get that far, but she was nuzzling up against me, all sweet and all. She just wanted to play or stretch or something."

"So Lethe, one of the most annoying and most barbaric of all the cats here apart from the big one, decides to warm up to you of all people."

"Yeah, must be my natural charm. Makes me irresistible."

"Excuse me, I have to find Rhys." Shinon said, cradling his fore head with his palm.

"Why?"

"I think I just had an aneurysm out of sheer stupidity."

"Wow, didn't know you were _that_ stupid, Shinon."

--

**So yeah.**


End file.
